(2) Europe does not have the funds to finance another combat aircraft platform in addition to the Typhoon but requires an air superiority fighter in its inventories in light of the threats faced. It is highly unlikely the US will sell the F-22 abroad. This is where Turkish Aerospace Industries comes in. The TF-X is directly funded by the Turkish Government. A Government which won its entire election campaign on the development of an indigenous fighter and development of the Turkish Aerospace sector. $44 billion has been allocated for this program. TAI would basically be funding the R&D for a European Air-Superiority Fighter.
“Europe” does not have the funds to finance another aircraft besides the Typhoon, nevermind that the development and acquisition costs of that particular bird are already payed, but Turkey with a defense budget half of the French or the British ones is going to finance “Europe” into a new multi national program?
Right now, no one in Europe outside of the TAF is considering the TFX, there are severall Air Forces buying “Dave”, the French and the British are into UCAV´s and “ze Germans” are looking around, but no one is giving much of a thought to the TFX, wich is entirely normal. Turkey wants to go from the Hurkus directly into a “Raptor Lite”, and most of the outsider´s are… well lets say… “dubious” about the chances of that particular bird getting into sqn´s, nevermind the “On time, on cost and on spec” bits, it will be quite a feat if TAI pulls something that ends in combat sqn´s, but the chances of the rest of Europe adopting it has a replacement for the Phoon (IMO) are almost nil.
ps – The Raptor line is closed for six years now.
Cheers
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